Davidson East: East Nashville, Inglewood, Madison, Donelson, Hermitage, Old Hickory

[Nashvillain]

19 hours ago, MidTenn1 said:

Good for them!! I can't blame the concerned and native Nashvillians (not going to use the 'Nimby' slur) who want to preserve some of the original character of the 5 points neighborhood which has been and still is in many ways a town center for East Nashville and replace it with some crappy 12-South, cookie cutter, quasi boho, boring replica of every other neighborhood in the country that has a collection of original urban fabric buildings which have been replaced with some sad looking trees and some 8 story, soulless, unoriginal, night-time storage places for the 10's of thousands of code writing workers.

This neighborhood is a major part of what makes Nashville the Music City. It did have Woodland Studios on the corner, which would make an awesome museum and public performance hall but will probably be torn down if some have their way. The history of these studios.....

Let what will naturally happen, happen. If the neighborhood wants a gas station and someone wants to own one, let it happen. If someone wants to have surface parking, so be it. The only time the city should step in is to restrict the development of these ugly apartment complexes going up everywhere in these areas and preserve critical elements of Nashville character and legacy such as Woodland studios before it becomes an unoriginal, lazy-a** planning collection of brass and fern bars or some 15-story monster called the "Woodland' in yet another pathetic attempt by a developer to use cultural appropriation as instant 'cred'.

This is a beautiful place as it is. It is a welcome place for all of the diverse cultures of the city. If it offends anyone, they can go to 12-South or several places in the Nations. Mayor Cooper needs to keep his hands and his 'planners' hands off 5-Points.

Adios.

A few counter arguments: 

The biggest source of revenue for Metro Nashville is property taxes. More valuable properties generate more revenue. Typically, denser developments with a greater variety of uses are the most valuable and generate the most revenue for the city. Therefore, it is in Metro’s interest that properties in desirable, high-value neighborhoods like the 5-points area generate more revenue. 

Gas stations and surface lots don’t generate as much revenue for the city as denser, mixed-use development does.

Notice, I never said anything about forcing property owners to sell or redevelop their gas station or surface lots. I said, maybe a streetscape improvement would encourage the redevelopment of those underutilized properties.

I think we have a fundamental disagreement about cities. IMO, cities are engines for economic, cultural, and artistic development and progress. As economic drivers, they don’t remain the same, change is a constant factor in the lifespan of a healthy city. 

NIMBYs desire to keep things the way they are in order to maximize the value of their personal property. They see change, increased density, renters, etc., as elements that will lower the value of their property (with little to no evidence to support this view). Furthermore, NIMBYs, have outsize influence in shaping or outright preventing the development and redevelopment of properties that they do not own. Because you own an expensive house down the block, you get to prevent a landowner from building on a separate property within the limits of the current zoning?  The role of government is not to maximize the value of assets belonging to certain constituents but to provide for the material well being of all its citizens.

In my view, phrases like "preserving the character of the area", have more to do with fossilizing the city into a kind of living museum or tribute to the past as opposed to a dynamic place full of opportunities in which current residents can thrive. Possibly, those who wish to see the city stay the same are doing it out of a genuine sense of nostalgia, but more often, it's a tactic NIMBYs utilize to pull up the ladder after they've gotten theirs. 

I’m not sure what the current status of Woodland Studios is, but if the owners want to turn it into a museum, then so be it. I never argued that that might not be a good utilization of the building. However, if the current owners want to turn it into a hipster bowling alley and call it Woodland Pins or whatever because they think it would make a lot more money, then… so? 

Your last point seems to indicate that you’re for development as long as it’s development that you approve of and that Metro should only intervene in the built environment to prevent development that you don’t like. Is that correct? 

Last thing, being "native" doesn't confer greater rights than those of any other citizen. 

Edited June 20, 2022 by Nashvillain

[grilled_cheese]

Riverside Village, whatever project this is called I forget

This is an old mansion/farm up behind the Lowe's in Rivergate.  They've demolished the house and moving a lot of dirt.  Bought by AMH TN Development LLC, looks like out of Delaware, for 1.7m

 

There is moved dirt and a sign advertising '20 luxury homes' on Eastland near Riverside Dr

Edited June 20, 2022 by grilled_cheese

[grilled_cheese]

4 hours ago, Nashvillain said:

Last thing, being "native" doesn't confer greater rights than those of any other citizen. 

In some ways, it should, and it is also codified in the Constitution.

[Nashvillain]

29 minutes ago, grilled_cheese said:

In some ways, it should, and it is also codified in the Constitution.

Being a native Nashvillian versus somebody who moved from another state? Are you serious? A citizen is a citizen

[BnaBreaker]

On 6/19/2022 at 5:34 PM, MidTenn1 said:

Good for them!! I can't blame the concerned and native Nashvillians (not going to use the 'Nimby' slur) who want to preserve some of the original character of the 5 points neighborhood which has been and still is in many ways a town center for East Nashville and replace it with some crappy 12-South, cookie cutter, quasi boho, boring replica of every other neighborhood in the country that has a collection of original urban fabric buildings which have been replaced with some sad looking trees and some 8 story, soulless, unoriginal, night-time storage places for the 10's of thousands of code writing workers.

This neighborhood is a major part of what makes Nashville the Music City. It did have Woodland Studios on the corner, which would make an awesome museum and public performance hall but will probably be torn down if some have their way. The history of these studios.....

Let what will naturally happen, happen. If the neighborhood wants a gas station and someone wants to own one, let it happen. If someone wants to have surface parking, so be it. The only time the city should step in is to restrict the development of these ugly apartment complexes going up everywhere in these areas and preserve critical elements of Nashville character and legacy such as Woodland studios before it becomes an unoriginal, lazy-a** planning collection of brass and fern bars or some 15-story monster called the "Woodland' in yet another pathetic attempt by a developer to use cultural appropriation as instant 'cred'.

This is a beautiful place as it is. It is a welcome place for all of the diverse cultures of the city. If it offends anyone, they can go to 12-South or several places in the Nations. Mayor Cooper needs to keep his hands and his 'planners' hands off 5-Points.

Adios.

I'm confused.  Who's offended?  Who's opposed to diverse cultures?  Myself and/or Nashvillain clearly hit a nerve somewhere, but I'm not really sure how.  All that was said is that it would be nice of metro would invest in some streetscape improvements at the Five Points intersection in the hopes that it might encourage the redevelopment of underutilized properties at that intersection by private investors in order to fill in some of those gaps and make it a more complete neighborhood.  We're talking about enhancing the neighborhood and bringing it back to it's former glory by adding to the lovely pre-war structures that are there with other structures in the same vein that might replace the unoriginal parking lots and gas station that are decidedly not a part of the original fabric of the neighborhood.   I wasn't around when the neighborhood was initially developed, but I would assume there were originally structures like the 3 Crow Bar building on each of the five corners.  Are you saying you'd rather have the gas station?  You speak as though freezing the parking lots and gas stations which probably sprang up in the 70's or 80's in time in a misguided attempt at "preservation" and bulldozing the entire neighborhood and making it a 12-South clone are the only two potential paths forward, and I must say that I'm not entirely sure I understand where you're coming from there.  

I mean, maybe it's just me, but I see a lot of room for improvement here... is this below really your vision of what 5 Points could and should be?  This is the Zenith of the evolution of the 5 points neighborhood, in your mind?  

https://www.google.com/maps/@36.1774409,-86.749893,3a,75y,356.98h,93.13t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sRb_Dmw-xcp6-1b3nT8cs6g!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DRb_Dmw-xcp6-1b3nT8cs6g%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D86.62598%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192

Edited June 20, 2022 by BnaBreaker

[grilled_cheese]

1 hour ago, Nashvillain said:

Being a native Nashvillian versus somebody who moved from another state? Are you serious? A citizen is a citizen

Yes

[MidTenn1]

I stand by what I posted. Again, adios.

[BnaBreaker]

32 minutes ago, MidTenn1 said:

I stand by what I posted. Again, adios.

You couldn't at least clarify your initial post?  Look, you're obviously entitled to your position, and I don't mean to pressure you.  I'm only asking because I respect you and your point of view, so I'd like to better understand where you're coming from.  As your post stands right now though the way I'm reading it is that you're essentially saying that anyone who thinks that a parking lot and a gas station are not the best utilizations for those prime corner plots in what is supposed to be the central hub of East Nashville is... opposed to diversity, somehow...or... something?  And I just can't imagine that's what you actually meant.  Surely I must be misreading it.  I understand that you're passionate about your neighborhood, and I thoroughly appreciate that.  I just think that in your justifiable crusade to preserve the unique feel of your neighborhood and your understandable desire to keep it from becoming another 12 South, you've forced a nostalgic attachment even to things that were not originally part of your neighborhood to begin with and do nothing to contribute to it's uniqueness, and you've backed yourself into a corner in which indefinitely freezing the neighborhood in place is the only option, and positive change is an impossibility.  

Edited June 21, 2022 by BnaBreaker

[WebberThomas4]

Update on the demolition of East End Methodist Church. 
 

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CfCnt_BDSNF/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
 

 

Edited June 21, 2022 by WebberThomas4

[markhollin]

307 South 11th St. (2 stories, mixed-use retail/restaurant/office) update: brickwork nearly complete.

Looking NE from intersection of South 11th St. and Lillian St:

[MidTenn1]

9 hours ago, BnaBreaker said:

You couldn't at least clarify your initial post?  Look, you're obviously entitled to your position, and I don't mean to pressure you.  I'm only asking because I respect you and your point of view, so I'd like to better understand where you're coming from.  As your post stands right now though the way I'm reading it is that you're essentially saying that anyone who thinks that a parking lot and a gas station are not the best utilizations for those prime corner plots in what is supposed to be the central hub of East Nashville is... opposed to diversity, somehow...or... something?  And I just can't imagine that's what you actually meant.  Surely I must be misreading it.  I understand that you're passionate about your neighborhood, and I thoroughly appreciate that.  I just think that in your justifiable crusade to preserve the unique feel of your neighborhood and your understandable desire to keep it from becoming another 12 South, you've forced a nostalgic attachment even to things that were not originally part of your neighborhood to begin with and do nothing to contribute to it's uniqueness, and you've backed yourself into a corner in which indefinitely freezing the neighborhood in place is the only option, and positive change is an impossibility.  

Some lengthy bullet points:

·       No, I’m not a ‘citizen’ from the literal sense of living within the Nashville city limits and having voting rights over city issues, but I’m Nashville born and raised and lived in East Nashville as a child where my father and his father lived before him. I know many of the stories and legends of East Nashville and many notable figures from the East Nashville community including a former Mayor, State politicians, and movie stars who were high school friends of my Father and Uncles. I have roamed all over the East Nashville area by bicycle, bus, car, foot and otherwise over the course of my life. I pay ample sales taxes in the city from groceries, shopping, fast food, cars, and on and on as my current beautiful suburban community is pretty much a desert island without retail, shopping and eating. So, I still claim some legitimate concern in the development of Nashville and in East Nashville in particular.

·       I have had a long and rewarding career as an Engineer which often took me away from the drawing boards and into local Mayor’s offices, City Commission meeting rooms, many public venues and even a few uncomfortable places such as courtrooms, legal offices. and even on a few occasions, in front of a large room full of my Engineering peers, contractors and business and Engineering firm CEO’s and multiple City and County executives while trying to explain why my proposals and solutions to traffic problems were valid and reasonable. I once had one of my bosses remark to me on how political my job was and except for the legal stuff, I loved it all. I was even on a small-town planning commission for a few years, so I have looked at urban development from a variety of perspectives.

·       One formative moment in my career occurred when I met with a group of activists from Nashville concerned about how the neighborhood they grew up in was changing and many of their families were being displaced due to higher rents or property taxes from properties their families had owned for generations. The word gentrification was not used as I recall, but would have been appropriate in this situation. They asked my help, as an authority in signage on streets and highways, in curbing the ever-growing encroachment of Vanderbilt’s signage (planting their flag, as it was characterized at the time) throughout the area. I had no say-so over any regulation of such signage as it was occurring on City regulated, not state-owned streets and I therefore was unable to help ameliorate their concerns. It was an eye-opening moment for me.

·       And my final point is, as much as I am intrigued and fascinated by the amount of building going on in this city, I fear we a losing the unique aspect of being Nashville and what that means. As I have said elsewhere, I have been so lucky to have been peripherally involved in some of the industries that spread this city’s music and talent around the world, but adding more cookie-cutter buildings is not enriching that broad cultural legacy along with its past great citizens leadership in advancing Civil Rights and Women’s voting rights.

The above points are the basis for my own personal opinion on how I feel about the well-intended desires, but not necessarily appropriate to Nashville’s unique situation, to bring what to me is an unimaginative approach to inclusive and historically respectful development. The unique legacy of Nashville requires better. Otherwise, it becomes just another sunbelt city. 

 

[smeagolsfree]

 

Well said Pete!!!!

I do know that as a member on the board, I have heard folks howl at the moon over individual property rights here. If the zoning allows it, the owner can do it rather the neighbors or a few NIMBYS as some might call them like it or not.

That is the right of the individual property owner. Businesses such as gas stations are a needed service in any community no matter if it is urban or suburban. Parking lots fill a need if there is not ample on street parking in an area. It does not really matter if we like or dislike them or think that it is a misuse of the property. It's all about what is allowed under the current zoning. A parking lotor a gas station can look very nice if done right. Most of the time if an area is zoned for commercial business, it is hard to exclude certain businesses except for adult entertainment that are acting within the law and not a hazard to the community. These could be viewed as a benefit to the community.

 

[Bos2Nash]

714 & 730 Main Street: Fencing went up a little while ago, but a drilling rig was on site this morning. My presumption is this is for a geotechnical report for structural design. 

Couldn't grab a picture, but this is the location from Smeag's development map

[WebberThomas4]

2 minutes ago, Bos2Nash said:

714 & 730 Main Street: Fencing went up a little while ago, but a drilling rig was on site this morning. My presumption is this is for a geotechnical report for structural design. 

Couldn't grab a picture, but this is the location from Smeag's development map

The demo permits were issued a couple of weeks ago, 

[bwithers1]

21 minutes ago, WebberThomas4 said:

The demo permits were issued a couple of weeks ago, 

Correct. A local architecture firm is working on future plans for this site. The plans have not yet been finalized for submission to the MDHA East Bank Redevelopment District Design Review Committee. 

[markhollin]

52 minutes ago, bwithers1 said:

Correct. A local architecture firm is working on future plans for this site. The plans have not yet been finalized for submission to the MDHA East Bank Redevelopment District Design Review Committee. 

Thanks, Britt.  Would you be able to alert us when renderings are available?

[Baronakim]

1 hour ago, bwithers1 said:

Correct. A local architecture firm is working on future plans for this site. The plans have not yet been finalized for submission to the MDHA East Bank Redevelopment District Design Review Committee. 

Really thrilled to see that POS building go away finally.  Always a hangout for drunks and druggies passed out around it.  The Main Street streetscape is changing a lot architecturally, but until the  bums hanging around the two liquor stores gets under better control, it will still be a crappy area to drive through IMO.

 

[bwithers1]

I have been otherwise engaged and was not able to follow the discussion about Five Points streetscape and how that devolved into nativism, but here are a few thoughts. 
 

The Sidewalk Bill legislation update that I cosponsored in 2019 now requires that new construction projects and some renovations in NashvilleNext Center policy areas update sidewalks to current standards and include street trees. This is generally benefitting the streetscape in Five Points and along Main Street as new projects upgrade the sidewalks, ADA curb ramps, and even sometimes storm drains. 
 

The Main/McFerrin intersection is a good example of a spot where three adjacent projects are upgrading the sidewalks to include street trees. 

The same is true of the privately-owned parcels in Five Points that are being redeveloped. Here are some comments that I offered in the Post about the 1000 Woodland parcel https://www.nashvillepost.com/business/development/five-points-site-eyed-for-two-restaurant-buildings/article_fa6bdf43-0b8c-5491-ab3e-83c81631ef8f.html. This project will greatly improve walkability on that 10th/Woodland intersection.  
 

If/when the privately owned parcel at 11th/Clearview redevelops it will be required to update sidewalks on both frontages, which will improve the streetscape. 
 

The Woodland Studios property was included in the Five Points Rezoning Plan that I undertook in 2020. The parking lot area is included in the NashvilleNext Mixed Use Corridor policy area that can support additional intensity, particularly on Collector or Arterial corners like 10th/Woodland. My conversation with the owners was that Planning would support MUL-A for now but any potential redevelopment of the parking lot would likely best be served by an SP zoning plan to address the changing topography of the site and the need not to overpower the historic Walnut Exchange Building at the bottom of the hill. This would tend to suggest a tapered or terraced building that steps down the hill somewhat. But in any redevelopment scenario, the sidewalks would be updated to include street trees, etc, similar to the 1012 Main Street project which is also terraced. 
 

In the past, one-time grants have been used for streetscape improvements such as one block of specialized lights that now rarely work. 
 

In the future, the redesign of Woodland to create bike lanes may help spur discussions about other streetscape and pedestrian improvements. I am unlikely to see either of those through this term but perhaps the next District 6 CM can pick up where I left off. 
 

I would also suggest a Business Improvement District for better coordinated garbage/litter collection, signage/wayfinding  and beautification improvements. Metro is not quite there yet in terms of having a standardized BID program that neighborhood business centers can use for these purposes. But to my mind, that is a more sustainable and public process than the use of one-time grant funding, especially since the area has long since ceased eligibility for CBDG funding. 

 

[BnaBreaker]

4 hours ago, smeagolsfree said:

 

Well said Pete!!!!

I do know that as a member on the board, I have heard folks howl at the moon over individual property rights here. If the zoning allows it, the owner can do it rather the neighbors or a few NIMBYS as some might call them like it or not.

That is the right of the individual property owner. Businesses such as gas stations are a needed service in any community no matter if it is urban or suburban. Parking lots fill a need if there is not ample on street parking in an area. It does not really matter if we like or dislike them or think that it is a misuse of the property. It's all about what is allowed under the current zoning. A parking lotor a gas station can look very nice if done right. Most of the time if an area is zoned for commercial business, it is hard to exclude certain businesses except for adult entertainment that are acting within the law and not a hazard to the community. These could be viewed as a benefit to the community.

 

But nobody was arguing that it shouldn't be the right of the individual property owner to do what they want with their property, or suggesting that parking lots and gas stations don't offer a service.  But in certain areas, we should hope for better uses than that, shouldn't we?  We all seem to be pretty universally approving of the replacement of parking lots, warehouses, and gas stations in SoBro or Midtown or even other parts of East Nashville, but someone expresses positivity to the prospect of a similar transition on very specific lots in what is supposed to essentially be downtown East Nashville and suddenly that's frowned upon?  I'm still confused by that reaction on an urban planning forum.  

Edited June 21, 2022 by BnaBreaker

[BnaBreaker]

6 hours ago, MidTenn1 said:

Some lengthy bullet points:

·       No, I’m not a ‘citizen’ from the literal sense of living within the Nashville city limits and having voting rights over city issues, but I’m Nashville born and raised and lived in East Nashville as a child where my father and his father lived before him. I know many of the stories and legends of East Nashville and many notable figures from the East Nashville community including a former Mayor, State politicians, and movie stars who were high school friends of my Father and Uncles. I have roamed all over the East Nashville area by bicycle, bus, car, foot and otherwise over the course of my life. I pay ample sales taxes in the city from groceries, shopping, fast food, cars, and on and on as my current beautiful suburban community is pretty much a desert island without retail, shopping and eating. So, I still claim some legitimate concern in the development of Nashville and in East Nashville in particular.

·       I have had a long and rewarding career as an Engineer which often took me away from the drawing boards and into local Mayor’s offices, City Commission meeting rooms, many public venues and even a few uncomfortable places such as courtrooms, legal offices. and even on a few occasions, in front of a large room full of my Engineering peers, contractors and business and Engineering firm CEO’s and multiple City and County executives while trying to explain why my proposals and solutions to traffic problems were valid and reasonable. I once had one of my bosses remark to me on how political my job was and except for the legal stuff, I loved it all. I was even on a small-town planning commission for a few years, so I have looked at urban development from a variety of perspectives.

·       One formative moment in my career occurred when I met with a group of activists from Nashville concerned about how the neighborhood they grew up in was changing and many of their families were being displaced due to higher rents or property taxes from properties their families had owned for generations. The word gentrification was not used as I recall, but would have been appropriate in this situation. They asked my help, as an authority in signage on streets and highways, in curbing the ever-growing encroachment of Vanderbilt’s signage (planting their flag, as it was characterized at the time) throughout the area. I had no say-so over any regulation of such signage as it was occurring on City regulated, not state-owned streets and I therefore was unable to help ameliorate their concerns. It was an eye-opening moment for me.

·       And my final point is, as much as I am intrigued and fascinated by the amount of building going on in this city, I fear we a losing the unique aspect of being Nashville and what that means. As I have said elsewhere, I have been so lucky to have been peripherally involved in some of the industries that spread this city’s music and talent around the world, but adding more cookie-cutter buildings is not enriching that broad cultural legacy along with its past great citizens leadership in advancing Civil Rights and Women’s voting rights.

The above points are the basis for my own personal opinion on how I feel about the well-intended desires, but not necessarily appropriate to Nashville’s unique situation, to bring what to me is an unimaginative approach to inclusive and historically respectful development. The unique legacy of Nashville requires better. Otherwise, it becomes just another sunbelt city. 

 

Thank you for your response, truly!  I appreciate it very much, and I enjoyed reading about your background and what motivates you.  Your head and heart is definitely in the right place in my estimation (not that you need me to tell you that,) and I thank you for all your years of serving the community.  It appears as though you and I are in stout agreement when it comes to a shared desire to preserve Nashville's unique identity and prevent it from becoming "just another sunbelt city," as you said.  I suppose where we part company here is that I don't personally see parking lots and gas stations in the commercial core of an urban neighborhood as contributing to that unique identity.  In fact, I think they take away from it's unique identity.  They are the urban renewal intruders that replaced the sibling structures of those across the street that we both rightly want preserved.  And what could be more ordinary and commonplace than a parking lot?  Heck, to that end, what could possibly be more stereotypically 'generic sunbelt city' than parking lots right smack in the middle of urban neighborhoods?

To reiterate, I think it should absolutely be the right of every property owner to do whatever they like with the land they own, so long as it fits the overarching neighborhood guidelines.  So I am in no way suggesting that metro should somehow step in and strong arm anyone into anything.  I just would hope that on that very specific plot of land right in the heart of East Nashville we have higher hopes and visions of what that can be.  Parking lots and gas stations can go just about anywhere!  I suppose I'd be curious to know your thoughts on the parking lots being replaced with residential buildings and so forth on Main Street in East Nashville just down the street.  Is that a positive or a negative change?  But alas, you have more than indulged my various whims here and have gone above and beyond to address them already, so I am happy to simply agree to disagree, and again, I thank you for your response.  Cheers!

Edited June 21, 2022 by BnaBreaker

[WebberThomas4]

https://www.eastwoodvillageoffering.com/listing
 

The newly completed Eastwood Village is being offered for sale. No word on the price, but only 3 of the spaces have been leased thus far.  This does not include the individual homes on the property.

[smeagolsfree]

1 hour ago, WebberThomas4 said:

https://www.eastwoodvillageoffering.com/listing
 

The newly completed Eastwood Village is being offered for sale. No word on the price, but only 3 of the spaces have been leased thus far.  This does not include the individual homes on the property.

It was on LoopNet this morning.

[markhollin]

Elan Rivergate (3 stories, 396 units on 22.4 acres) update: fencing up, excavation underway.

Looking NE from intersection of 1 Mile Parkway and Connare Drive:
 

Looking east from intersection of 1 Mile Parkway and Connare Drive:




Looking north from intersection of 1 Mile Parkway and Connare Drive:




Looking east from Connare Drive, 1/4 block south of Apple Valley Rd:

[WebberThomas4]

https://epermits.nashville.gov/#/permit/4131777?page=1&searchText=301 gallatin&searchCode=ADDR&searchType=permit&orderBy=permitNumber DESC
 

Velvet Taco is taking over the former Calypso space.

[markhollin]

Williams Station (2 & 3 stories, 51 townhomes) update: north section topped-out, foundations in place for southern section.

Looking north from Williams Ave.,  1/2 block west of Gallatin Pike:

Looking NW from Williams Ave.,  1/2 block west of Gallatin Pike: